UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 18 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Cripps Mission Dominion Status
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2016
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectModern History
- TopicConstitutional Development
- DifficultyEasy
- TypeDirect
The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War
Show answer
Answer: D. India should be given Dominion status
Verdict
The answer is that India should be given Dominion status. The Cripps proposals of 1942 offered dominion status after the war.
Analysis
The Cripps Mission came to India in March 1942 to secure Indian support for the British war effort. It proposed an Indian Dominion free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth, a constituent assembly to frame a new constitution, and the right of any province unwilling to join the Union to have a separate constitution. Defence was to remain in British hands during the war. Complete independence was not offered, which is why the Congress rejected the proposals, and partition into two was not proposed in those terms. The republic option describes a status India adopted later by its own decision.
Source
NCERT, Bipan Chandra and Spectrum.
How to crack it
Attach one headline offer to each mission and the whole chapter becomes mechanical. Cripps 1942 offers dominion status after the war, the Cabinet Mission 1946 offers a three tier grouping scheme, and the Mountbatten Plan 1947 offers partition with dominion status immediately. Note also that the Congress rejection is itself a clue: an offer of complete independence would not have been rejected, so the correct option must be something less.